Franklin Graham recently joined Greta Van Susteren on The Record to remind Americans of what real charity looks like when it’s powered by faith and common sense — not government handouts. He walked viewers through Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child and the priceless reactions of children who open a simple shoebox and find a world of hope and joy.
Operation Christmas Child is not a publicity stunt; it’s a decades-long, no-nonsense effort to get tangible gifts into the hands of children who otherwise would have none, while partner churches share the Good News. Millions of shoeboxes have been packed and delivered around the globe because everyday Americans care enough to give, and organizations like Samaritan’s Purse know how to make donations count.
Greta Van Susteren’s on-the-ground reporting from Ecuador showed exactly why people keep supporting this work: you can see the face of a child light up when they receive a present and a Scripture — it’s the sort of scene that should make every patriot proud. Franklin Graham described those moments as the real first gift of Christmas: the gospel shared alongside a tangible act of kindness that spills over into entire communities.
This year Samaritan’s Purse set its sights even higher, preparing to send millions more shoeboxes to children in need, a reminder that private generosity fills gaps that bureaucrats and career politicians never will. While the exact numbers swell with each season of giving, the message is consistent: Americans of faith are stepping up to deliver mercy and truth where it’s needed most.
Of course, the left and its legal activists never miss a chance to kneecap faith-based good works, as we’ve seen when school officials fold to complaints and cancel children’s toy drives rather than stand up for common decency. That kind of petty secularism — turning away from the simplest acts of charity to score ideological points — should disgust every American who remembers our country was built on religious freedom and neighborly duty.
So here’s the plain truth: Franklin Graham and Samaritan’s Purse are showing the rest of us how to answer need with action, not rhetoric. If you’re tired of government peddling slogans while real people suffer, support groups that actually deliver, and don’t let the cancelers shame you into silence — this is how patriots love their country and help the world at the same time.
